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Is the search for Bigfoot over?

The search for Bigfoot is over, according to two US hunters who say they have found the body of the hairy ape-like creature and will back their claims up at a press conference tomorrow.

Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer say they discovered the body in a forest in northern Georgia, a south-east US state, about two weeks ago.

The pair, who reportedly operate a Bigfoot tracking business, will present "DNA evidence and photo evidence of the creature" at a press conference in California tomorrow.

Photos already released on the internet show a large ape-like animal crammed into a freezer, where it was being preserved.

Eminent Bigfoot hunter Tom Biscardi, who has been searching for Bigfoot since 1971, had no doubt the find was authentic.

"It's a huge situation for me after 35 years, because I've wanted to bring one back," he said.

"This whole thing unfolded about two weeks ago when these two boys came on a talk show here in the States [and announced they'd found a Bigfoot body].

"The commentator asked them if they could send someone to see the body and they said: 'The only person we would allow to come down and verify the body is the real Bigfoot Hunter, Tom Biscardi'.

"They showed me the body. They took me to the area where they found it - it took a day and a half to get there."

The body is reportedly male, over two metres tall, weighs over 230 kilograms, has reddish hair, blackish-grey eyes and human-like teeth.

"I got to be honest, when I first saw it I hated to see it in that state it was in. I wanted to capture one so the world could see it walking. I guess this is the next best thing for the time being," he said.

He said a video filmed by the two men the day they found the body showed at least "three others walking upright like a man".

Mr Biscardi and his organisation, Searching for Bigfoot, are now working with the two men to capture another Bigfoot alive.

They are keeping details of the expedition, and the exact location where the Bigfoot body was found, secret.

As news of the discovery spreads across the internet, particularly in the US, many have already raised questions about its authenticity, claiming it's all a hoax.

"We trekked in for a day a half ... what kind of lunatic would be out here in a monkey suit? I saw the thing, I touched it," Mr Biscardi said.

"They're fine guys, one works for the police department in Georgia, and the other was a correctional officer. They're pretty credible guys.

"We'll release the DNA analysis, and we'll have the body right next to the two boys ... then you can see it's real, that it's not all bullshit."

However, the news already appears to be affecting Mr Whitton's career prospects with the Clayton County police force.

Clayton police chief Jeff Turner said he had no problem with Mr Whitton running his Bigfoot tracking business "as long as his part-time business doesn't affect his work ethic", the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

"His claims of finding Bigfoot is entirely a different matter ... unfortunately, that's spilling over into his police life and that's where we have concerns. When he comes back from medical leave, we'll have to sit down and address those issues."

Despite no firm evidence the creature exists, there have been numerous Bigfoot sightings in the US over the years. The idea of a "Bigfoot" is also well-entrenched in US popular culture, with films and TV shows devoted to the creature.

update: SIGH... it's another fake. Rubber costume. Boring. Move on.

.. article stolen from smh